Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Publisher's Summary. A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony...

THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE is the story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: a landscape, a community and a fragile way of life.

Giveaway Rules: Today I pleased to be able to offer one lucky reader a copy of this engaging book!

Metroreader Google followers only.
Canadian and US residents only.

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

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Monday, March 28, 2011

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by I'm Booking It. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) The Millennium Diet by Mark Davis, M.D. Publisher's Summary. Dr. Mark Davis's private practice has seen thousands of individuals lose weight through his unique approach to dieting and weight loss. With The Millennium Diet: The Practical Guide to Rapid Weight Loss, Davis hopes to help thousands more of the 150 million overweight Americans shed the unwanted pounds by taking a closer look at what they're eating. Dieters who have failed on other routines and fads will find a physician-formulated program for a healthier life.

Having interacted with thousands of patients, Davis knows what works and what doesn't when it comes to quick and effective weight loss. He has spent years researching his patients' diets to find similarities in their eating habits. These similarities may be certain foods or entire food groups that led to the individual's unhealthy weight gain. Once these foods are reduced or eliminated from someone's diet, Davis claims that individuals can lose four to eight pounds in a week.

Davis's nine chapters cover the important aspects of dieting, nutrition, pharmacology of diet medications and the human physiology and psychology of weight gain and loss. He explains to readers how this plan meets the cellular needs of the human body. The book contains a high-protein, low-carbohydrate program to reach the dieter's goals in a safe manner.

"The Millennium Diet is adaptable to most lifestyles," Davis says. "It's rapidly becoming a model standard of dieting that physicians are recommending to their overweight patients." Davis boasts that "The Millennium Diet" easily adapts to most lifestyles, uses foods found in local grocery stores, requires no recipes or tough cooking and removes unwanted weight without harming the body. The author's decade of research will inspire those who have failed at other popular programs effectively reach their weight and health goals.

Thanks to the author!

2) The Murder's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers. Publisher's Summary. Lulu and Merry's childhood was never ideal, but on the day before Lulu's tenth birthday their father drives them into a nightmare. He's always hungered for the love of the girl's self-obsessed mother. After she throws him out, their troubles turn deadly.

Lulu's mother warned her to never let him in, but when he shows up, he's impossible to ignore. He bullies his way past ten-year-old Lulu, who obeys her father's instructions to open the door, then listens in horror as her parents struggle. She runs for help and discovers upon her return that he's murdered her mother, stabbed her sister, and tried to kill himself.

For thirty years, the sisters try to make sense of what happened. Their imprisoned father is a specter in both their lives, shadowing every choice they make. Though one spends her life pretending he's dead, while the other feels compelled to help him, both fear that someday their imprisoned father's attempts to win parole may meet success.

The Murderer's Daughters is narrated in turn by Merry and Lulu. The book follows the sisters as children, as young women, and as adults, always asking how far forgiveness can stretch, while exploring sibling loyalty, the aftermath of family violence, and the reality of redemption.

3) The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton. Publisher's Summary. Mia, Laney, Betts, and Ginger, best friends since law school, have reunited for a long weekend as Betts awaits Senate confirmation of her appointment to the Supreme Court. Nicknamed “the Ms. Bradwells” during their first class at the University of Michigan Law School in 1979—when only three women had ever served full Senate terms and none had been appointed to the Court—the four have supported one another through life’s challenges: marriages and divorces, births and deaths, career setbacks and triumphs large and small. Betts was, and still is, the Funny One. Ginger, the Rebel. Laney, the Good Girl. And Mia, the Savant.

But when the Senate hearings uncover a deeply buried skeleton in the friends’ collective closet, the Ms. Bradwells retreat to a summer house on the Chesapeake Bay, where they find themselves reliving a much darker period in their past—one that stirs up secrets they’ve kept for, and from, one another, and could change their lives forever.

Once again, Meg Waite Clayton writes inspiringly about the complex circumstances facing women and the heartfelt friendships that hold them together. Insightful and affecting, The Four Ms. Bradwells is also a captivating tale of how far people will go to protect the ones they love.

Monday, March 21, 2011

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by I'm Booking It. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton. Publisher's Summary. A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony...

THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE is the story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: a landscape, a community and a fragile way of life."

Thanks to the author!

2) Amaryllis in Blueberry. by Christina Meldrum. Publisher's Summary.
Meet the Slepys: Dick, the stern doctor, the naÏve husband, a man devoted to both facts and faith; Seena, the storyteller, the restless wife, a mother of four, a lover of myth. And their children, the Marys: Mary Grace, the devastating beauty; Mary Tessa, the insistent inquisitor; Mary Catherine, the saintly, lost soul; and finally, Amaryllis, Seena's unspoken favorite, born with the mystifying ability to sense the future, touch the past, and distinguish the truth tellers from the most convincing liar of all.

When Dick insists his family move from Michigan to the unfamiliar world of Africa for missionary work, he can't possibly foresee how this new land and its people will entrance and change his daughters—and himself—forever.

Nor can he predict how Africa will spur his wife Seena toward an old but unforgotten obsession. In fact, Seena may be falling into a trance of her own. . . .

3) Women Food and God by Geneen Roth. Publisher's Summary. No matter how sophisticated or wealthy or broke or enlightened you are, how you eat tells all.

After three decades of studying, teaching and writing about our compulsions with food, bestselling author Geneen Roth adds a powerful new dimension to her work in Women Food and God. She begins with her most basic concept: The way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. Your relationship with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation and, yes, even God.

A timeless and seminal work, Women Food and God shows how going beyond the food and the feelings takes you deeper into realms of spirit and soul—to the bright center of your own life.

4) A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion by Ron Hansen. Publisher's Summary. A novel set in the fast-living New York of the 1920s, that follows two lovers in a torrid affair on an arc of murder and sexual self-destruction.

Monday, March 14, 2011

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by I'm Booking It. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister. Publisher's Summary. At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

Shimmering with warmth, wit, and insight, Joy for Beginners is a celebration of life: unexpected, lyrical, and deeply satisfying.

Thanks to the Penguin Group!

2) Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee. Publisher's Summary. He was a man who didn’t deserve a second chance. But he needed one…

Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.

Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future—even after she meets a new man?

Thanks to St. MArtin's Press.

3) The Bird House by Kelly Simmons. Publisher's Summary. Every family has its secrets. But when you are the last survivor tending to the dark fires of memory, and your own mind is fading, who do you share them with? Your diary or your eight-year-old granddaughter? Or do you simply let them fade away, along with your memory?

The Bird House is a moving story of secrets, lies, and relationships. It is a close look at the hardship and heartbreak that one woman can withstand during a lifetime. As an elderly woman, Ann Biddle is struggling to both remember and come to terms with the life she has led. It is through her young, but wise granddaughter, Ellie, that Ann finds a way to deal with her past and finally reveal the secrets that have come to taint the present.

4) As Husbands Go by Susan Isaacs. Publisher's Summary. Call her superficial, but Susie B Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten assumed her marriage was great—and why not? Jonah Gersten, MD, a Park Avenue plastic surgeon, clearly adored her. He was handsome, successful, and a doting dad to their four-year-old triplets. But when Jonah is found dead in the Upper East Side apartment of second-rate "escort" Dorinda Dillon, Susie is overwhelmed with questions left unanswered. It's bad enough to know your husband's been murdered, but even worse when you're universally pitied (and quietly mocked) because of the sleaze factor. None of it makes sense to Susie—not a sexual liaison with someone like Dorinda, not the "better not to discuss it" response from Jonah's partners. With help from her tough-talking, high-style grandma Ethel, who flies in from Miami, she takes on her snooty in-laws, her husband's partners, the NYPD, and the DA as she tries to prove that her wonderful life with Jonah was no lie.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Publisher's Summary. The New York Times bestselling author of slow-cooker cookbook Make It Fast, Cook It Slow returns with budget (and gluten-free!) meals that will satisfy the entire family. Stephanie O’Dea’s 200 delicious recipes include

—and many more. More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the perfect cookbook for easy-to-prepare meals that don’t take a toll on the family budget.
Review. In 2008 Stephanie O’Dea used her crockpot every single day, resulting in many, many, delicious and timesaving recipes in Make It Fast, Cook It Slow. Now O’Dea is back with More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow featuring 200 budget-friendly, gluten-free, new recipes.

The book is organized first by recipe cost ($7 and under, $10 and under, and $15 and under) and then by category (beverages, breakfasts, appetizers, soups & stews, beans, side dishes, vegetarian main courses, poultry, beef & pork, and desserts). While the cost conscious cookbook lacks pictures they are included on her website at crockpot365.blogspot.com. The recipes largely utilize commonly found ingredients, are easy to prepare, and followed by a commentary of what O’Dea’s family thought of the recipe. The only caveat I would add is to use the exact size crockpot called for or to follow O’Dea’s advice of placing a smaller vessel inside the crockery. It will save your dish from turning dark and overcooking, like mine did in the chicken meal (see recipe below) I made, but it was still delicious.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Put chicken into your cooker. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour evenly on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours, or on high for three to four hours. Serve over basmati rice with your favorite steamed vegetables.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Publisher's Summary. From the Operating Room to the family dinner table, "Something to Prove" chronicles Dr. Thornton’s journey to achieve the goals her father laid out for her in childhood—and to set the bar high for her own children. In "Something to Prove", Dr. Thornton brings us along her continued path as a doctor, wife and mother, revealing the challenges of balancing a flourishing medical career with managing a home and raising children. Carrying on the family name, Dr. Thornton picks up the mantle of her father’s ambition and heart as she shares the ups and downs of her career as the first African-American woman in the United States to be Board-certified in maternal-fetal medicine—while attending her kids’ chess matches, crafting Halloween costumes, and somehow finding time to learn how to tango. Filled with vivid personalities, heartbreaking setbacks, and joyful triumphs, "Something to Prove" is a testament to what can be accomplished through hard work, love, and determination.
Review. Dr. Yvonne S. Thornton’s father had a dream: that his five daughters would become doctors. Overcoming poverty, prejudice (racial and gender), and other hardships, three of his daughters did just that. As Thorton notes:

Mommy and Daddy knew better than anyone that being black and being female besides; their children were born with a double handicap. If we girls were going to get any breaks . . . it would be breaks we made for ourselves. We had to pull so far ahead that nothing and no one could hold us back.

The Ditchdigger’s Daughters by Yvonne S. Thornton, M.D. chronicled this remarkable only in America story.

In Something to Prove, the follow-up, Thornton is living her father’s dream as a practicing high risk O.B. in Manhattan during the early eighties. The dream, however, is not happily ever after as Thornton faces prejudice in her career. On a particularly trying day, Thornton shares her challenges with her indefatigable father. He replies, “Cookie, they opened the door a crack. Now you have to prove to them who you are.”

Proving who she is, Thornton continues to rise above the obstacles and thrive. She also keeps her father’s dream alive, in the next generation, her two children, who also embark on medical careers. To think that this multi-generational success story started with one man’s dream and tenacity. Amazing!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Publisher's Summary. I was at my wit's end. I'd had enough of this job, this life, and my relationship had broken up. Should I eat chocolate, or go to India, or fall in love? Then I had a revelation: Why not do all three, in that order? And so it was that I embarked on a journey that was segmented into three parts and was then made into a major motion picture. Later, I woke up on an airplane with a hole in my face and a really bad hangover. I was ushered brusquely off the plane by my parents who took me to a rehab where I tested positive for coke, classic coke, special k (the drug), Special K (the cereal), mushrooms, pepperoni, and Restless Leg Syndrome. It was there that I first began painting with my feet.

But rewind...the year was 1914. I was just a young German soldier serving in the trenches while simultaneously trying to destroy an evil ring with some help from an elf, a troll, and a giant sorcerer, all while cooking every recipe out of a Julia Child cookbook. What I'm trying to say is that there was a secret code hidden in a painting and I was looking for it with this girl who had a tattoo of a dragon! Let me clarify, it was the 1930s and a bunch of us were migrating out of Oklahoma, and I was this teenage wizard/CIA operative, okay? And, um then I floated off into the meta-verse as a ball of invisible energy that had no outer edge...

Ugh, okay. None of this is true. I'm just kind of a normal guy from New Jersey who moved to New York, got into comedy, wrote this book about trying to write this book, and then moved to Alaska, became the mayor of a small town, spent $30,000 on underwear, and now I'm going to rule the world!!!

Review. Writer, comedian, and actor Michael Showalter has written a book, Mr. Funny Pants! And in it he shares everything: the writing process – from initial emails to the epilogue and everything in between; dealing with writer’s block; random autobiographical bits, including, his first memory ever (kicking his uncle in the groin); miscellaneous factoids, such as that status of cats in ancient Egypt; and an interactive game section.

If all this sounds like a weird mish-mash, it is. It is also hysterically funny:

The hardest part about writing a book for me is that I don’t know how I write a book. What’s my process? Do I write in the morning or do I write at night? Do I write nonstop for hours? Or do I take breaks? What do I wear when I write? Am I fully clothed? Or do I write in the buff? The answer to all of these questions is I don’t know because I’ve never written a book before. There are some things I definitely do know. I know for a fact that I like to walk and write at the same time. This is difficult, though, because I have to balance my laptop on one hand while typing with the other. Also my computer battery runs out quickly so I can only work for short intervals before needing to go home to recharge my laptop battery. Or worse, sometimes I’ll abruptly stop walking and then the person behind me bumps into me. This usually leads to an exchange along the lines of, ‘Hey a**, what the f**k?”

Of course, humor is a personal preference and this book is not for everyone. One word of caution, for sensitive readers, there is a fair amount of scatological references and profanity. If however, you find the above passage as funny as I did then Mr. Funny Pants is for you.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by I'm Booking It. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern. Publisher's Summary. Born into the lap of luxury and comfortable in the here and now, spoiled, tempestuous Tamara Goodwin has never had to look to the future—until the abrupt death of her father leaves her and her mother a mountain of debt and forces them to move in with Tamara's peculiar aunt and uncle in a tiny countryside village.

Tamara is lonely and bored, with a traveling library as her only diversion. There she finds a large leather-bound book with a gold clasp and padlock, but no author name or title. Intrigued, she pries open the lock, and what she finds inside takes her breath away.

Tamara sees entries written in her own handwriting, and dated for the following day. When the next day unfolds exactly as recorded, Tamara realizes she may have found a solution to her problems. But in her quest to find answers, Tamara soon learns that some pages are better left unturned and that, try as she may, she mustn't interfere with fate.

Thanks to HarperCollins!

2) The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady By Elizabeth Stuckey-French. Publisher's Summary. Seventy-seven-year-old Marylou Ahearn is going to kill Dr. Wilson Spriggs come hell or high water. In 1953, he gave her a radioactive cocktail without her consent as part of a secret government study that had horrible consequences.

Marylou has been plotting her revenge for fifty years. When she accidentally discovers his whereabouts in Florida, her plans finally snap into action. She high tails it to hot and humid Tallahassee, moves in down the block from where a now senile Spriggs lives with his daughter’s family, and begins the tricky work of insinuating herself into their lives. But she has no idea what a nest of yellow jackets she is stum­bling into.

Before the novel is through, someone will be kidnapped, an unlikely couple will get engaged, someone will nearly die from eating a pineapple upside-down cake laced with anti-freeze, and that’s not all . . .

Told from the varied perspectives of an incredible cast of endearing oddball characters and written with the flair of a native Floridian, this dark comedy does not disappoint.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

* Create irresistible attraction and an atmosphere that men love to be around.
* Find out the single most important thing you can do to get a sincere commitment from the guy you want.
* Keep that crazy-in-love feeling going, no matter how long you've been together.
* Learn the secret to instantly resolving conflict with your man.
* Know when to have "the talk": Don't think it matters when you bring it up? Think again.
* Avoid the biggest mistake women make when he's "not ready" for a commitment
* Get your relationship back and better than ever, even if he has cheated

If you have love problems, Dr. Diana has the solutions. This book is your key to creating your own happiest-ever-after now.

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

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Limit one winner per household regardless of the site won from.

Welcome to Metroreader!

I'm a reader/commuter in the DC Metro Area. My daily commute to work provides me with ample time to do what I love most: read! Whether its chick lit, literature, memoirs or other non fiction you can always find me with a book.
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